PLANE IN VOLCANO

Evening Star, Issue 21091, 2 May 1932, Page 1

PLANE IN VOLCANO

AIRMAN TELLS OF ADVENTURE The report has reached Seattle from Anchorage, Alaska, that Pilot Frank Dorbandt. of Seattle, and two companions braved deadly gases and landed their aeroplane inside Aniakchak volcano. It is the first time in history, it is believed, that an aeroplane has been set down inside an active crater. Dorbandt was returning from an 1,800-mile fur-buying expedition oyer the Alaskan Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. His companions were George Emery, of Seattle, and George Johnson, photographer. Father Bernard J. Hubbard, Alaskan explorer and professor at Santa Clara University, California, and Pilot Harry Blunt, were nearly sucked into the volcano last summer, when in Blunt’s piano they passed low «ver the crater. Dorbandt reported nnny of the peaks in the range of mountains on the Alaskan Peninsula were in eruption. “ Wo took off on skis from Ugashik, on the north-western shore of Alaska,” said Dorbandt. ” From Chiguik on we found everything covered with volcanic ash. We discovered several unnamed peaks smoking, and tbs whole range seemed active. We also flew over Mount Katman, Mount Pavlof, and Mount Shisbaldin, takinz still and motion pictures of them. It was a wonderful thrill. Of couraq it was dangerous, but the three of us decided to take a chance and get a dose-up of the volcano.

“ It was Johnson who suggested the idea, because he wanted to got some pictures. 1 put it up t« Emery, and ho said ' Let’s go,' and down we came on the volcano floor. Ofir plane was equipped with skis, and we landed without any difficulty oh the frozen ground. The smoke and the gas coming from the volcano wjre not very pleasant, but we managed to endure it until George got all the photographs he wanted.”

Aniakchak crater is considered one of the most remarkable ihtural objects on the American Contineiit. Its enormous floor measures (33 by 5.3. miles. The rock walls that fork the rim of the volcano rise in places 3,000 ft, and a cinder cone rises 2,000 ft

Again referring to the many smaller volcanoes in eruption. DCbtandt added; “ It was one of the rm«t impressive and awe-inspiring sights: >1 ever saw. Volcanic ash could be observed everywhere. We went up as higji as 12,0°0ft, and could see the Pacini Ocean and the Behring Sea at one tine.”